The time I talked about real pants

Posted March 26, 2017 by Stacee in Signings | 2 Comments

Once upon a time, I used to read adult books.  Every once in a while, I’ll request one that sounds good.  It’s rare, but if I see something that catches my eye, I’m all over it.  That was the case with Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia.  I straight up devoured it and there’s a good chance it’ll be one of my top books of the year.

So, when I saw that Mindy was going to be coming to Mysterious Galaxy, I was all over it.

I got down to the store about an hour before the event.  That gave me plenty of time to run amok, hit the back room, and chat with the lovely employees.

Mindy and Chris came out just after 2 and they gave a brief synopsis of their books.

CE: So theatre is in your background?

MM: I interviewed actors to get the terms down. I didn’t know what play it was going to be until I learned about the curse. Macbeth is the most intense study from Shakespeare. Macbeth is a normal man. He makes a choice and it’s all about the consequences of following your dark desires. Tell us about your book.

CE: It’s set on the Isle of Man. Have you heard of it?

MM: I’ve heard of it, but never been there.

CE: It’s famous for the TT motorbike races. Usually about 9 people die during every event. One thing people don’t know about it is that it was rumored to be a place where the U.K. witness protection would relocate people. Long Time Lost is about witness protection from a privatized point of view.

MM: So how did you research this?

CE: I read mostly about the federal protection. The core message was that it’s a tough life. You have to cut all ties absolutely. The number of people who go into protection screw up because they reach out in some way. And the stress for the people who work it and how they’re always working.

As you were researching, did Macbeth become a character?

MM: It sort of became a foil for Peter. Literature is his life. Hattie is a teenage girl and I thought it would be easy. I mean, I was a teenage girl. You think you won’t forget, but you do. I read through my high school journals to help me get into the mindset. For Del, he had the voice of my maternal grandfather. I wanted to tell the story about rural Minnesota. There’s such a stoicism.  I remember driving in the car with her and she pointed to a field and told me that was where two boys went in and one killed the other.  I was eight.  I didn’t know people killed each other.  I still remember it.  I’m sure there was so much more that she was feeling about, it but that’s all she said.

CE: How did you write a fictional town?

MM: The specifics of the town weren’t important and I didn’t need people knowing that the Dairy Queen closed before the time set.

CE: Is that a town you might visit again?

MM: Maybe. I really like Del. I might shake up his world again.

Which authors do you like to read?

MM: Neil Gaiman is one of my favorites. I also love Audrey {I didn’t catch her last name} and I’m a fan of Amy Gentry.

CE: I recently have been on a Michael Connelly run. My go to favorite will always been Chandler. He is what got me to start writing crime.

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

MM: I was 7 and a half. It was when my mom gave me my first journal. Writing was magic. I didn’t know I could make a living. I think there’s a disconnect about seeing a book on the shelf and realizing someone wrote it.

CE: I was probably the same age. I wrote really bad poetry. Then I was about 12 and couple of kids were able to go to a thing with poets and it turned out to be a bunch of kids in berets.

There was a bit more to their answers, but I was taking photos.  From there, it was time for the signing.  I got to Mindy and told her that I loved her book.  We talked about the cover for a second before I word vomited and said something about putting real pants on to come see her.  She laughed and said it was what she wanted to put in my inscription.

After a couple of seconds of chatting, I thanked her for coming and said my goodbyes to the employees of MG. If you’re looking for a crazy mystery that will keep you guessing through out the entire story, I can’t recommend Everything You Want Me to Be enough.

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2 responses to “The time I talked about real pants

  1. Aw :D This is so awesome. Thank you for sharing about this event Stacee. <3 Glad you had a good time :) And YAY for loving this adult book :D I only read a few adult books too, only those I really, really think I would enjoy, haha :) Glad you loved this. <3

    Carina Olsen recently posted: Review: Flashfall by Jenny Moyer
    • Stacee

      I used to only read adult books, so now I’m super picky about them. This book was AMAZING.
      Thanks for reading and commenting!!

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